Under and Over Separate Again
by Aesir10
Summary: My personal idea of what realistically happened after the conclusion of book 5. It's really sad and I'm sorry but I hope you like it. Disclaimer: I don't own anything in this story, it is all property of Suzanne Collins and her amazing story telling.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This is the first story I have ever attempted to write. I am writing this because I absolutely love The Underland Chronicles. This is not intended to be a long series. Instead this is going to be a third person narrative of what I believe happens in the years following book 5. It is going to be fairly tragic and heartbreaking so I'm sorry in advance. I hope you like it. Please comment your opinion on this story, I would love to hear what you all have to say about it.

Underland:

In the months following the bonding of Ripred and Luxa the Underland started to understand that everything was changing and that the old ways of fighting and hatred were fading away. To commemorate this peace a full day of celebrations would be had ever year on the day that Luxa and Ripred had bonded. This was known as the Day of the Bonding to honor the single greatest moment of friendship that had every occurred in the Underland. In the years that followed nearly every species in the underland flocked to Regalia to celebrate this day.

Ripred started to regret giving himself that second scar; he hated being cooped up with peace negotiations all day. But as the formal leader of the gnawers and the prophesied Peacemaker he had a responsibility to all creatures of the Underland even though he was never officially admitted to the Council of Species that Lizzie had proposed.

Vikus was more proud of Luxa than ever before. She proved to be a steadfast and caring queen to her people while also showing kindness to all species that wished to be a part of the great peace. The only other prominent creatures of the underland that didn't take part in the peace were the twisters and the cutters and the shiners. The twisters couldn't leave the jungle and hated the other species for that. The cutters attacked the city shortly after the peace was made but were easily repelled thanks to the combined might of the defenders. Other than Photos Glow-Glow and Zap, the other shiners never even knew that a war had occurred or of the peace that followed.

Regalia was slowly starting to be rebuilt. The damage done by the gnawers and the diggers proved worse than anybody had thought. The diggers had dug a cavern below Regalia large enough to sink the whole palace should the Bane's army have no other way of taking it with traditional methods. This of course couldn't stay so all species that were a part of the peace had volunteered to help fill in the cavern. This brought further unity to the species with diggers, spinners, gnawers, fliers, nibblers, crawlers, builders (formerly the killers i.e. humans) and even some stingers helping to refill the hole. Two certain shiners claimed they helped as well but nobody ever actually saw them move so much as a pebble. After this was completed the conglomerate of species set to repairing the city itself. New accommodations were added both in the city and in the palace for the new allies to have places to stay should they so desire.

Hazard continued to live with Luxa and proved an invaluable asset to conducting peace negotiations with the other species thanks to his proficiency with languages. He was the only one who could communicate with the stingers and the diggers and so began to understand why peace was so much more difficult than war. Even so he was dedicated to peace and never picked up a weapon in hate. His father would have been proud.

Over a year after the warrior left Vikus had another stroke and died. All of the Underland wept at his passing. He was the first person that had truly thought peace with all species was possible and so was greatly respected by all. His funeral was the traditional sending of the raft down the river to the waterway.

It took 2 years for Regalia to be fully repaired and renovated to add housings for all species that were a part of the peace. It was at this time that the new council, The Council of Species, wanted to honor the warrior and his bond, Ares, by building a statue of them in the center of Regaila. This pained Luxa as it brought up many memories every time she saw the statue. She didn't tell anybody but Luxa missed Gregor immensely. She wished he had never left with his family but she knew she couldn't ask him to stay. Not after everything he had been through in those 5 prophecies. If she wasn't presiding over the council as queen or flying with Aurora she was in her chambers staring at the photo of them dancing. She knew in her heart that she would never see him again but she also realized that she would never fully move on or let go of the memories of him that were so precious to her. Due to her closeness with Hazard he was the only one other than perhaps Vikus and Ripred who saw her pain and sadness. They never sought to console her; they all recognized that there was nothing that they could say or do short of bringing Gregor back that would make her feel better.

15 years after the peace was made Luxa married a man that she didn't love to ensure that the line of succession stayed intact. She gave birth to twins, a son she named Hamnet and a daughter she named Judith. She had considered naming her son Gregor but it was still too painful for her after all those years.

The peace lasted long after Queen Luxa's reign ended and she was considered the best ruler the Underland had ever seen. Even in her final days she still remembered her last moments with Gregor on the stairs of the Central Park entrance to the Underland, staring up at him with the stars and the gorgeous moon behind him.

Overland:

Gregor's mother strictly forbid anybody from talking about the civilization below but that didn't stop Gregor from thinking about it all the time. His parents spent many nights discussing what to do with their family. But the decision was eventually made for them when Gregor's grandmother died. His parents decided that they all needed to leave New York and get away from all the pain and loss that was associated to that city and the one far below them. Lizzie protested at first but their parents believed that it would be best for all of them to start over where nobody knew who they were.

6 months later, towards the end of the spring school semester they moved to Virginia. Gregor still had scars all over his body that was like a map of what he had been through. Because of this he still had to wear jeans and jackets every day and could never go swimming in the public pool otherwise somebody would probably call Child Protective Services.

Despite moving over 300 miles away he still couldn't tear himself away from all of his friends and loved ones in the Underland. He wondered if the peace was holding up, how the repairs to Regalia we coming along, how Hazard, Howard, Vikus, Mareth, York, Ripred, Luxa and all his other friends were doing. He just wanted to go back. But he knew he couldn't. He didn't belong in the Underland. He had been needed as the warrior but warriors with terrifying abilities aren't wanted during times of peace. He also couldn't leave his family again. If he ever went down there again he knew he wouldn't be able to bring himself to leave again.

But he still didn't belong in the Overland either. He couldn't make friends, he was quiet, he was even bullied for a brief time for being so different. Eventually he fought back and accidentally let out his rager side and put 2 kids in the hospital. After this the whole school was afraid of him and even the teachers stopped calling on him in class.

He continued using his echolocation just to pass the time and was eventually so good he could identify where everybody was in their farm house at all times.

Lizzie couldn't forget the Underland either. She couldn't forget Ripred and his pups that had drowned at the Garden of Hesperides. She couldn't forget breaking the code and couldn't forget being with Ripred in the last major battle before her brother had killed the Bane. She knew that Gregor had it worse than her. She knew he loved Luxa and that all he wanted to do was go back to her. She understood his pain but couldn't do anything to help him.

Boots eventually stopped speaking in the tongues of the Underland but never forgot her friends Hazard and Temp. Her family soon convinced her that she made them up.

Gregor's mom found a job as an assistant to a manager of an insurance company. His dad got a job at a local science museum as a tour guide/maintenance man. Their family was far from perfect but they were all trying.

Gregor eventually went to college. He stayed in Virginia to be close to his family in case they needed him. He never forgot about Luxa and still kept his picture of them in the prophecy room with him at all times. When he moved to college he slowly stopped wearing jackets and long sleeves all the time. The scars from the squid suckers was still there but those were easier to explain than the scars on his legs or his chest. He never fell in love with anybody else. He refused to be attached to somebody again after losing Ares and Luxa. He never revealed the existence of the Underland to anybody and died peacefully.

Edit: I understand that this story is a lot more depressing than most Underland fanfics but I wanted to do something a bit different and faithfully follow what I believed Suzanne Collins would have written. At the end of the series to me it seemed like Gregor and Luxa would always remember each other and love each other but they were destined to be apart. This is why I decided to not send Gregor back down. Because of this the story has a very somber tone. I understand that many probably won't like it but I had a sudden inspiration and felt like I had to write it. I don't think Suzanne Collins would have sent Gregor back down there. According to what she wrote he didn't belong there just as much as he didn't belong in the Overland so he stayed with his family. Maybe in the future Lizzie or Boots would have gone back but I personally don't think they would have if Gregor didn't.

A/N: So this was so much harder for me to write than I thought it would be. I've been crying a little bit for the past 20 minutes because of this story. I'm not 100% satisfied with it yet. I may update it with other stuff in the future but again your comments, ideas and criticisms are greatly appreciated. Thanks everybody. Fly you high. Run like the river.


	2. Final Edit (I Think)

A/N: This is an edit of my first story. I wrote almost exactly a year ago. Since then I have read basically every GTO story on this site (yes, I know I clearly love this series too much. As the original comments stated this story is really sad and I realize that the user MovingBush was right: I was trying too hard to make it sad. So, I have since edited it to be somewhat less depressing.

A/N: I own nothing but my print of the original series. I wish I owned the rights, but Suzanne Collins isn't returning my calls. Sad day.

Underland:

In the months following the bonding of Ripred and Luxa the Underland started to understand that everything was changing and that the old ways of fighting and hatred were fading away. To commemorate this peace a full day of celebrations would be had ever year on the day that Luxa and Ripred had bonded. This was known as the Day of the Bonding to honor the single greatest moment of friendship that had every occurred in the Underland. In the years that followed nearly every species in the underland flocked to Regalia to celebrate this day.

The council proposed by Lizzie was deemed such a good idea that it stayed in power and eventually was named The Council of Species. They oversaw negotiations and made every species happy. Each species would still have their own rulers, but they now had to be agreed upon by unanimous vote of the Council.

Ripred started to regret giving himself that second scar; he hated being cooped up with peace negotiations all day. But as the formal leader of the gnawers and the prophesied Peacemaker he had a responsibility to all creatures of the Underland even though he was never officially admitted to The Council of Species.

Vikus was more proud of Luxa than ever before. She proved to be a steadfast and caring queen to her people while also showing kindness to all species that wished to be a part of the great peace. The only other prominent creatures of the Underland that didn't take part in the peace were the twisters and the cutters and the shiners. The twisters couldn't leave the jungle and hated the other species for that. The cutters attacked the city shortly after the peace was made but were easily repelled thanks to the combined might of the defenders. Other than Photos Glow-Glow and Zap, the other shiners never even knew that a war had occurred or of the peace that followed.

Regalia was slowly starting to be rebuilt. The damage done by the gnawers and the diggers proved worse than anybody had thought. Luxa and the Coucil of Species agreed that the first task for a unified Underland should be to repair and renovate the city. This brought further unity to the species with diggers, spinners, gnawers, fliers, nibblers, crawlers, builders (formerly the killers i.e. humans) and even some stingers helping to refill the hole. Two certain shiners claimed they helped as well but nobody ever actually saw them move so much as a pebble. New accommodations were added both in the city and in the palace for the new allies to have places to stay should they so desire.

Hazard continued to live with Luxa and proved an invaluable asset to conducting peace negotiations with the other species thanks to his proficiency with languages. He was the only one who could communicate with the stingers and the diggers and so began to understand why peace was so much more difficult than war. Even so he was dedicated to peace and never picked up a weapon in hate. His father would have been proud.

Over a year after the warrior left Vikus had another stroke and died. All of the Underland wept at his passing. He was the first human that had truly thought peace with all species was possible and so was greatly respected by all. His funeral was the traditional sending of the raft down the river to the waterway.

It took 2 years for Regalia to be fully repaired and renovated to add housings for all species that were a part of the peace. It was at this time that The Council of Species wanted to honor the warrior and his bond by building a statue of them in the center of Regalia. This pained Luxa as it brought up many memories every time, she saw the statue. She didn't tell anybody but Luxa missed Gregor immensely. She wished he had never left with his family, but she knew she couldn't ask him to stay. Not after everything he had been through in those 5 prophecies. She spent most of her time presiding over the city as queen. In her rare free time, she would wander the city streets without her sword at her hip knowing that Gregor would be proud of her. She knew in her heart that she would never see him again, but she also realized that she would never fully move on or let go of the memories of him that were so precious to her. Due to her closeness with Hazard he was the only one other than perhaps Vikus and Ripred who saw her pain and sadness. They never sought to console her; they all recognized that there was nothing that they could say or do short of bringing Gregor back that would make her feel better.

8 years after the peace was made Luxa married a man that she fell in love with while strolling through the streets of Regalia. His name was Xander. He was the son of a farmer. Hi knew little of war but much about reaping what you sow. He was gentle and supportive. She eventually gave birth to a daughter they named Lilith. Later came a son they named Vikus.

The peace lasted long after Queen Luxa's reign ended and she was considered the best ruler the Underland had ever seen. She lived to be 84, the longest reign of a Regalian monarch. Even in her final days she never forgot Gregor. He might not have been the only man she loved but he still held a special place in her heart.

Overland:

Gregor's mother strictly forbade anybody from talking about the civilization below but that didn't stop Gregor from thinking about it all the time. His parents spent many nights discussing what to do with their family. But the decision was eventually made for them when Gregor's grandmother died. His parents decided that they all needed to leave New York and get away from all the pain and loss that was associated to that city and the one far below them. Lizzie protested at first, but their parents believed that it would be best for all of them to start over where nobody knew who they were.

6 months later, towards the end of the spring school semester they moved to Virginia. Gregor still had scars all over his body that was like a map of the struggles he had endured for a people that he didn't belong to. Because of this he still had to wear jeans and jackets every day and could never go swimming in the public pool otherwise somebody would probably call Child Protective Services.

Despite moving over 300 miles away he still couldn't tear himself away from all of his friends and loved ones in the Underland. He wondered if the peace was holding up, how the repairs to Regalia were coming along, how Hazard, Howard, Vikus, Mareth, York, Ripred, Luxa and all his other friends were doing. He just wanted to go back. But he knew he couldn't. He didn't belong in the Underland. He had been needed as the warrior but warriors with terrifying abilities aren't wanted during times of peace. He also couldn't leave his family again. If he ever went down there again, he knew he wouldn't be able to bring himself to leave.

But he still didn't belong in the Overland either. He couldn't make friends, he was quiet, he was even bullied for a brief time for being so different. Eventually he fought back and accidentally let out his rager side and put 2 kids in the hospital. After this the whole school was afraid of him and even the teachers stopped calling on him in class.

He continued using his echolocation just to pass the time and was eventually so good he could identify where everybody was in their farm house at all times.

Lizzie couldn't forget the Underland either. She couldn't forget Ripred and his pups that had drowned at the Garden of Hesperides. She couldn't forget breaking the code and couldn't forget being with Ripred in the last major battle before her brother had killed the Bane. She knew that Gregor had it worse than her. She knew he loved Luxa and that all he wanted to do was go back to her. She understood his pain but couldn't do anything to help him.

Boots eventually stopped speaking in the tongues of the Underland but never forgot her friends Hazard and Temp. Her family soon convinced her that she made them up.

Gregor's mom found a job as an assistant to a manager of an insurance company. His dad got a job at a local science museum as a tour guide/maintenance man. Their family was far from perfect, but they were all trying.

Gregor eventually went to college. He stayed in Virginia to be close to his family in case they needed him. He never forgot about Luxa and still kept his picture of them in the prophecy room with him at all times. When he moved to college, he slowly stopped wearing jackets and long sleeves all the time. The scars from the squid suckers was still there but those were easier to explain than the scars on his legs or his chest. He never fell in love with anybody else. He refused to be attached to somebody again after losing Ares and Luxa. Afterall, experience had showed him that love would always eventually lead to loss and he couldn't bear that again. After college Gregor got a job working construction. It allowed him a simple life that didn't bring anymore anguish. He never revealed the existence of the Underland to anybody and died peacefully when he was 84.

Edit: I understand that this story is a lot more depressing than most Underland fanfics but I wanted to do something a bit different. At the end of the series to me it seemed like Gregor and Luxa would always remember each other and love each other but they were destined to be apart. This is why I decided to not send Gregor back down. Because of this the story has a very somber tone. I understand that many probably won't like it but I had a sudden inspiration and felt like I had to write it.

A/N: So this was so much harder for me to write than I thought it would be. I've been crying a little bit for the past 20 minutes because of this story. I'm not 100% satisfied with it yet. I may update (SUCESSFULLY UPDATED) it with other stuff in the future but again your comments, ideas and criticisms are greatly appreciated. Thanks everybody. Fly you high. Run like the river.


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